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For more than 100 years the Society of Professional Journalists has been dedicated to encouraging a climate in which journalism can be practiced more freely and fully, stimulating high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism and perpetuating a free press.

About the Foundation

Since its founding in 1961, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation has promoted excellence and ethics in journalism. The SDX Foundation is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization that supports the educational programs of the Society of Professional Journalists and serves the professional needs of journalists and students pursuing careers in journalism.

Excellence in Journalism 2016Sept 7-9, 2017 – Anaheim

Excellence in Journalism is the national journalism conference of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio Television Digital News Association. Join us in September in Anaheim for training, networking, workshops and more!

SPJ Leads

SPJ News

SPJ Blogs: Newest Posts

Quill Headlines

Journalist's Toolbox

@SPJ_Tweets

Connect with SPJ

SPJ on Facebook

Upcoming Eventsand Deadlines

Become an SPJ Member

For more than 100 years the Society of Professional Journalists has been dedicated to encouraging a climate in which journalism can be practiced more freely and fully, stimulating high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism and perpetuating a free press.

About the Foundation

Since its founding in 1961, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation has promoted excellence and ethics in journalism. The SDX Foundation is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization that supports the educational programs of the Society of Professional Journalists and serves the professional needs of journalists and students pursuing careers in journalism.

Excellence in Journalism 2016Sept 7-9, 2017 – Anaheim

Excellence in Journalism is the national journalism conference of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio Television Digital News Association. Join us in September in Anaheim for training, networking, workshops and more!

The South Florida Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and itsnational organization is outraged at the Palm Beach County ElectionSupervisor’s change in policies that led to the arrest of a freelancejournalist James S. Henry on Sunday and its efforts to prevent journalistsfrom covering the voting process.

Supervisor Theresa LePore – with no notice to anyone in themedia and changing what had been policy for weeks – banned interviewing orphotographing voters lined up on a public street outside her election officeover the weekend except from a tent 100 feet away.

Our ongoing inquiry into the arrest, which has gone beyond thetwo deputies interviewed by the sheriff’s office, reveals at least threediffering accounts without even having reached all the parties yet. In some,the journalist is blameless; in others, the deputy acted correctly; instill, others, both parties may have acted injudiciously.

But what emerges clearly is LePore’s new policy is at best anoverreaction and at worst what appears to the public to be an effort tocover up a quagmire.

The policy blocking journalists’ monitoring of the votingprocess is debatably unlawful and unquestionably unwise. We believe thestate law cited by the sheriff’s office and LePore’s implementation ofGovernor Bush’s directive to an Orange County election official is beingapplied in an unconstitutionally overbroad manner. The alleged and as yetunsupported existence of complaints that voters were intimidated byreporters and photographers did not result in anyone leaving the line. Tothe best of our knowledge, journalists immediately complied when votersdeclined to be interviewed or photographed.

The Society of Professional Journalists urges election officialstoday to allow the nation's news media to provide the coverage that willhelp legitimize an important election

A free press operating freely is one of the best protections the nation hasagainst flawed or fraudulent elections. Excluding the press from serving asindependent observers will only serve to cast a cloud of illegitimacy overelections in case of disputes and false rumors.

The Society, the nation's oldest and largest journalism organization, warnsagainst rules, such as those imposed by LePore.

“Americans must know that journalists are watching the elections process,and have access to the voters,” said Charles N. Davis, executive director ofthe Freedom of Information Center and co-chair of SPJ’s Freedom ofInformation Committee. “Policies that serve to restrict the press frustratethe democratic process by removing the watchdog.”

The Society's President, Irwin Gratz says , "It seems to me any rule likethis has less to do with protecting voters, than protecting officials whogenerate long lines by failing to adequately prepare for an election withenormous voter interest."

"What would we say if journalists in a foreign country wereunable to document complaints about long lines of voters?"